The Midwest Conference released its 2018 Men's Cross Country Coaches Poll on Tuesday and Lake Forest College was third in the rankings.
Voting is done by the MWC head cross country coaches. Each coach votes for the other nine schools in the league in order of predicted finish at the 2017 MWC Championship Meet. Points are assigned in reverse order of voting (nine points for first, eight for second, etc.). Coaches may not vote for their own teams.
Two of the three Foresters who earned All-MWC honors a year ago are back this season. Jorge Villanueva placed 9th at the conference meet and is looking to become the program's first four-time All-MWC honoree. Phillip Wilson was 15th in the league after placing 20th as a freshman in 2016. Lake Forest was third in the conference as a team, matching the highest finish in school history.
First-year head coach Ciara Kissane's squad will begin the season at the Tom Barry Invitational in Green Bay, Wisconsin, on September 1. Lake Forest will host the Forester Invitational on September 14 and the MWC Championsships on October 27.
Preseason Coaches Poll
| PLACE | TEAM (First Place Votes) | POINTS |
| 1 | Cornell College (9) | 81 |
| 2 | Grinnell College (1) | 68 |
| 3 | Lake Forest College | 64 |
| 4 | Lawrence University | 60 |
| 5 | Monmouth College | 48 |
| 6 | St. Norbert College | 44 |
| 7 | Beloit College | 34 |
| 8 | Knox College | 24 |
| 9 | Ripon College | 18 |
| 10 | Illinois College | 9 |